From: Kevin Lynch Sent: Friday, 18 May 2012 7:14 PM
Whilst all of these Macro solutions are interesting and would over come the problem, this is not the solution I was asking for.
I have had the good furtune to work for many companies and have come across this 2nd operand length problem many times.
If I were to use one of these macros to correct such a minor problem it would be akin to using a sledge hammer to crack a nut. And would leave a maintenance hangover for someone to maintain the macro.
What I'm asking for is for the Assembler Language to have some way to indicate that I wish to use the length of the second operand. As I explained earlier this would be particularly useful where a long second operand literal is being used.
A long literal as an operand for an MVC or CLC is not a good idea. First, it's better to use CL in order to ensure that you have a well-defined length, not a rubbery one. Second, a long constant is best defined as a DC. Third, if a macro is used, it should check that the source is not longer than the first operand.
